The Uganda communication Commission’s recent move to have all social media and online content creators licensed and taxed continues to face resistance from various sections of the public.
Contestants of the move say that people are already paying the Over-The-Top (OTT) tax, and that adding a license fee would cause unnecessary disruptions in Uganda’s Information Communication and Technology industry.
The government introduced OTT tax in 2018, requiring social media users to pay a sh200 daily tax to access sites like Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp.
The Uganda Communications Commission, the communications industry regulator, issued a public notice on September 7, requiring that anyone wishing to publish information online that transmits sound, video or data intended for simultaneous reception by the public, should regularise their operations by obtaining the necessary approvals from UCC by October 5, 2020.